View source for Assisi

== Main sights ==
=== UNESCO World Heritage Site ===
[[UNESCO]] collectively designated the Franciscan structures of Assisi as a [[World Heritage Site]] in 2000, under the name ''Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites''. The inscription comprises two main areas:<ref name="UNESCOMaps">{{cite web |title=Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites – Maps |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/990/maps/ |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref>

==== Historic centre of Assisi and surrounding sites ====
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 270
 | header = [[Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi]]
 | image1 = BasilicaDiSanFrancescoAssisiMar262024 02.jpg
 | alt1 =
 | class1 = bg-transparent
 | caption1 =
 | image2 = Basilica di San Francesco, May 2017.jpg
 | alt2 =
 | caption2 =
}}
* [[Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi]]: Constructed between 1228 and 1253 following the [[canonization]] of St. Francis, the complex includes the [[Sacro Convento]] and the lower (''Basilica inferiore'') and upper (''Basilica superiore'') churches. The lower church features [[fresco]]es by [[Cimabue]] and [[Giotto]], while the upper church contains scenes from the life of St. Francis, once attributed to Giotto but now believed to be the work of painters from the Roman school of [[Pietro Cavallini]]. The basilica suffered severe damage during a 5.5-magnitude earthquake on 26 September 1997, which caused part of the vault to collapse, killing four people and destroying a fresco by Cimabue. Restoration took two years.
* The Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco.
* [[San Damiano, Assisi|Church of San Damiano]]: One of the first churches restored by St. Francis, and the site of one of his most famous visions. It was later given to St. Clare as the first home of the [[Poor Clares]].
* [[Eremo delle Carceri]]: a small monastery with a church at a canyon above the town, where St. Francis retreated and preached to birds
* The Santuario di Rivotorto, a sanctuary marking the site of Francis's early communal life.
* [[Assisi Cathedral|Cathedral of San Rufino]] (St. Rufinus): church with a [[façade]] in [[Romanesque style]] with three [[rose window]]s and a 16th‑century interior; part of it is built on a [[cistern]] from the [[Roman era]]. Location of the baptism of both St. Francis and St. Clare and the surviving [[baptismal font|font]] carved out of a granite Roman column.
* [[Basilica di Santa Chiara|Basilica of Santa Chiara]] (St. Clare): Begun in 1257, this church is characterized by its massive lateral [[buttress]]es, a prominent [[rose window]], and a simple [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] interior. It contains 13th-century frescoes and paintings, as well as the [[tomb]] of its namesake saint, [[Saint Clare of Assisi]].
* The historic urban fabric of Assisi itself and its surrounding cultural landscape.

==== Santa Maria degli Angeli and Porziuncola ====
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 270
 | header = [[Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli]]
 | image1 = Santa Maria degli Angeli (Assisi).jpg
 | alt1 =
 | class1 = bg-transparent
 | caption1 =
 | image2 = Santa Maria degli Angeli fd (1).JPG
 | alt2 =
 | caption2 =
}}
* [[Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli]] (St. Mary of the Angels); a large baroque church built to contain: {{cn|date=April 2026}}
** The [[Porziuncola]], a chapel restored by St. Francis next to which was constructed the first convent of the [[Order of Friars Minor]];
** The [[Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli#The Transito|Transito]], chapel built in the cell where St. Francis died.
* The Palazzo del Capitano del Perdono, a historical structure associated with the tradition of the "Pardon of Assisi".

Together, these sites reflect the religious, artistic, and architectural legacy of the Franciscan movement and its influence throughout medieval and modern Europe. {{cn|date=April 2026}}

=== Other landmarks ===
The town is dominated by two medieval [[castle]]s. The larger, known as the ''[[Rocca Maggiore]]'', was extensively rebuilt by [[Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz|Cardinal Albornoz]] in 1366, and later expanded by Popes [[Pope Pius II|Pius II]]—who added the polygonal tower in 1458—and [[Pope Paul III|Paul III]], who built the cylindrical bastion near the entrance between 1535 and 1538. {{cn|date=April 2026}}

The smaller castle, originally built during the [[Roman era]], is only partially preserved. A small section and three towers remain and are open to the public. {{cn|date=April 2026}}

Other sights include: {{cn|date=April 2026}}
[[File:Assisi Piazza del Comune BW 1.JPG|thumb|Temple of Minerva in the Piazza del Comune.]]
* The Roman [[amphitheater]], built in the early 1st century AD. Its elliptical plan is still visible through the medieval houses constructed around it and through a surviving arch of travertine cunei. The former arena is now occupied by a garden.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/413037 |title=Places: 413037 (Asisium) |author1=Harris, W. |author2=DARMC, R. Talbert |author3=S. Gillies, J. Åhlfeldt |author4=J. Becker, T. Elliott |date=22 September 2019 |access-date=8 November 2014 |publisher=Pleiades}}</ref>
* The ''Piazza del Comune'' ("Communal Square"), home to several notable buildings: the ''Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo'' (mid-13th century, featuring merlons added in 1927), the adjoining ''Torre del Popolo'' ("People's Tower", 1305), and the ''Palazzo dei Priori'' ("Palace of the Priors", 1275–1493). The fountain on the southern side, decorated with three lions, dates from the 16th century.
* The [[Temple of Minerva (Assisi)|Temple of Minerva]], a well-preserved Roman temple facing the ''Piazza del Comune''.
* The crypt of the demolished church of ''San Nicolò di Piazza'', also located on the ''Piazza del Comune'', where St. Francis and [[Bernard of Quintavalle]] are said to have consulted the Gospels when forming the earliest [[Rule of Saint Francis|Franciscan Rule]].
* The Abbey of St. Benedict, founded in the 10th century on Monte Subasio. Remains include a late 11th-century crypt, the apse, and sections of the external walls.
* [[Chiesa Nuova (Assisi)|Chiesa Nuova]]: A church built over what is traditionally believed to be the parental home of St. Francis.
* [[The Piccolino Chapel]]: A small chapel marking the legendary birthplace of St. Francis.
* [[Abbey of Saint Peters (Assisi)|Church of San Pietro]] (St. Peter): Originally built by the [[Benedictine order|Benedictines]] in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 13th century. The church features a rectangular façade with three [[rose windows]], and a Gothic chapel of the Holy Sacrament that houses a triptych by Matteo di Gualdo.
* [[Santa Maria Maggiore, Assisi|Santa Maria Maggiore]] (St. Mary the Greater): The earliest extant church in Assisi and formerly the cathedral of the city.
* [[Santo Stefano (Assisi)|Santo Stefano]]: One of the oldest churches in Assisi, notable for its simple and early Romanesque design.

=== Art ===
{{Hatnote|See also: [[Commons:Gallery of Art in Assisi|Art in Assisi]]}}

Assisi has had a rich tradition of art through the centuries and is now home to a number of well-known artistic works.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wga.hu/tours/siena/index_d.html|title=Web Gallery of Art – Art of Simone|website=wga.hu}}</ref>

Artists [[Pietro Lorenzetti]] and [[Simone Martini]] worked shoulder to shoulder at Assisi. The [[Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi]] includes a number of artistic works. Simone Martini's 1317 fresco there reflects the influence of [[Giotto di Bondone|Giotto]] in [[realism (arts)|realism]] and the use of brilliant colours. Lorenzetti's fresco at the lower church of the Basilica includes a series of panels depicting the [[Crucifixion of Jesus]], [[Descent from the Cross|Deposition from the Cross]], and [[Entombment of Christ]]. The figures Lorenzetti painted display emotions, yet the figures in these scenes are governed by geometric emotional interactions, unlike many prior depictions which appeared to be independent iconic aggregations. Lorenzetti's 1330 [[Madonna dei Tramonti]] also reflects the ongoing influence of [[Giotto di Bondone|Giotto]] on his [[Roman Catholic Marian art|Marian art]], midway through his career.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.virtualuffizi.com/pietro-lorenzetti.html|title=Pietro Lorenzetti :: Biography ► Virtual Uffizi|website=Virtual Uffizi Gallery}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.livingitaly.com/Umbria_Art_Cities/umbria_assisi.htm |title=Umbria Art |access-date=23 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130080014/http://www.livingitaly.com/Umbria_Art_Cities/umbria_assisi.htm |archive-date=30 January 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>